


After the Battle of Lakeland

by LemonWytch



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25504759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonWytch/pseuds/LemonWytch
Summary: Minfillia, distraught by the events in the first strike by the Eulmoran army, sits in her thoughts. The Warrior of Darkness seeks her out to offer words of advice and solace.
Kudos: 4





	After the Battle of Lakeland

Minfillia sat on the small dock of the Hortorium, her feet dipped slightly in the cool waters. Around her, people were talking, laughing, going about their days. They knew of the battle that had transpired, but not what had happened. They didn’t see the bloodshed, the chaos. They were here, in the Crystarium. Safe. Happy. Looking at her, she should have blended in. Her clothes were clean, her body unmarred by the carnage. She was one of precious few who came out of the battle unharmed…although she should certainly be on death’s door.  
“Hey, kid,” a voice said behind her.  
She glanced over her shoulder, but she recognized the voice already. The Warrior of Darkness approached, a white mage by trade, though he didn’t look the part. Breeches and tall leather boots, a vest and thin shirt were his choice of garb instead of the flowing robes like other magic users. He, like her, was unscathed from the battle; he saw to that himself. “Hello,” she replied glumly.  
“Chessamile is looking for you, said she wanted you to get some herbs?” he asked, removing his boots and sitting beside her. His feet sank in next to hers as he leaned back on his elbows.  
“Yes…I’ll get them soon.”  
“Good…good.” There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “What’s on your mind?”  
“I’m okay,” she said automatically.  
“That was the first big battle you’ve participated in, right? I know when we rescued you there was…a scuffle, but you weren’t armed. This was different.”  
_A scuffle,_ Minfillia thought a bit sardonically. _A decisive loss against the legendary Eulmoran general Ran’jit was “a scuffle.”_  
“It’s okay to not be okay about this,” he said when she didn’t reply.  
“I…I didn’t do anything.”  
“That’s not true.” His response wasn’t given out of obligation, no sense of flattery or kindhearted dishonesty in his voice. She turned to look at him as a slight smirk spread across his face. “You went out, went toe to toe with more than your fair share of sin eaters, saved dozens of lives—mine most likely included—and moreover held your own. That’s no small feat, little one.”  
She continued to stare at his cocky visage. “Everything is so…difficult. Thancred is constantly holding things over me, I feel like I’m never doing enough. I—I’m not—I don’t know—”  
“Not ready?” he finished for her. She nodded sadly. “I get it. You get thrown into a role you didn’t ask for, with gifts you didn’t want, and a responsibility you don’t understand. You don’t want to be the Oracle of Light, you didn’t ask for this.”  
If the words had come from anyone else, they would have felt like an accusation. But coming from him, they felt safe. They were her own thoughts spoken into the world. She felt tears welling up. “I’m not strong enough for this.”  
“Not strong enough _yet.”_ He sighed and sat up. “I’m gonna tell you something I’ve never told anyone, okay?” She nodded. “I haven’t always been the Warrior of Darkness. Back in the Source, a long time ago, I was just another adventurer trying to make his way in the world. Me against huge monsters and creatures, with a stick that I could barely channel magic through.” She chuckled weakly. “One day my power erupted within me. Minfillia—our Minfillia, one of your predecessors, if the Source and the First are so linked—and the other Scions took me in. Y’shtola and Uriangier explained to me what had happened while Minfillia broke down the concept of the Echo. It…well, it was a shock. I didn’t know what to do with it. Honestly, for the first few weeks, I ignored it. I ignored the calls of duty; I ignored the exponential rise in power I was experiencing. I was terrified.”  
He leaned forward, staring into the pool. “I knew I needed help, so I went back to them. We started talking and…well, the rest is history. From there I went on to battle the primals, magitek constructs by the Empire, the Ascians. The Scions were with me the whole time. I always had help, even if I was the one they were banking on. Even if the final blow needed to rest on my shoulders, I knew they had my back.  
“I harnessed my power for them. I grew stronger for them and with that I found confidence in my strength. I didn’t ask for the Echo, didn’t ask for my responsibilities as the Warrior of Light. I just wanted to be me. However, I grew to accept my role rather than run from it. Hell, at this point, I embrace it. It feels good to know who I am.” He nudged her with his elbow. “You’ll get there, Minfillia. It just takes time. You’ve been…well, you’ve been forced into it before you were ready. I had the luxury of taking time to figure out who I was beforehand, but you didn’t. I wish that weren’t the case.  
“No matter what anyone says—Thancred, Uriangier, the Exarch himself—you have to move at your own pace. Don’t let fear stand in your way of progress, but don’t move until you’re ready.” He put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close. “You’re strong and brave. We all have faith in you. Now you’ve gotta find that faith in yourself, okay?”  
They sat there for a minute, her curled up against him as he held her. She smelled his clothes; somehow still clean, but the traces of the battle were still there. The stink of body odor and grime, the acridity of smoke. All was just beneath his lightly perfumed aroma.  
Her mind wandered back to the battle, the turning point, when they knew they were going to win—or what would constitute as a victory, in the face of the odds.

_“Bring it down!” cried Captain Lyna, her sword and shield brought to bear. The sin eater that stood before them was massive; its pale white skin nearly aglow in the moonlight, its armor a beautiful myriad of porcelain white and gleaming gold. Its eyes, that horrifying orange and black, bored down on them. It was emotionless. It was indifferent to the suffering it caused._  
 _It was winning._  
_Minfillia was on her hands and knees, coughing up bits of blood and dust. Her arms and legs were split open from the claws of smaller eaters, the muscles on her abdomen exposed to the open air._  
_“There’s only so much we can handle,” shouted Thancred, reloading his gunblade. A stream of blood coated half his face, his clothes in tatters. His hands shook with adrenaline as his body tried its best to keep him going._  
 _“Aye, t’would seem our efforts are rebuked,” Uriangier replied, his arm bent at an unnatural angle. He bit his collar and pulled the limb back into place with a grimace._  
 _“We’re not done yet!” The Warrior of Darkness let loose a battlecry, charging into the fray. The sin eater looked down at him, that callous gaze, and raised its sword. As it was brought down with such power the air ignited, the Warrior deflected it to the ground. The explosion sent debris into the air, dirt and rock rained down upon the combatants. Still, the Warrior pressed onward. With another roar, he spun his staff, the crystals at the top sparkling with power as he raked it across the sin eater’s armor. Hundreds of sparks burst into the night air, providing further illumination._  
 _“He can’t keep up that assault for long,” Y’shtola said, sliding beside Minfillia and aiding her to her feet. A piece of her eyebrow was missing. “We need to help him.”_  
 _Minfillia tried to stand on her own, and failed. Y’shtola caught her, looked at her worriedly. “I’m alright,” Minfillia muttered, trying to step forward. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Thancred and whipped her head back to the Warrior._  
 _His staff had spun behind him, preparing another blow—and gave the eater an opening. The sword came across their bodies rapidly, still burning with power. At the last moment, the Warrior let go of his staff and brought his arms up, as though that could stop it. The sword cracked into him and another explosion rocked the area. Sudden, unnerving silence sank around them, as did despair. The distant voices of shouting soldiers and screeching sin eaters seemed miles away. The fires burning sounded out of place. As the dust settled, the eater still stood, its sword held out to its side in an unintentional pose of power and victory._  
 _“No,” Y’shtola murmured. “No, no no…”_  
 _Only the staff remained where the Warrior of Darkness once was._  
 _Minfillia felt her heart sink as Thancred roared and charged in, gunblade out to the side. He leapt into the air, bringing the weapon over his head, and brought it down with all his might._  
 _The eater’s shield came up and the blow did nothing. Thancred was knocked back by the force of his own attack. As he hit the ground, the eater whipped its sword in an arc, and fire descended upon all of them._  
 _None of them could stop it, none of them could defend themselves against it. It burned them all. Some, like Minfillia, screamed. The flames rolled over them with an angry pain, scouring them. Blisters appeared on their skins just as other swaths of flesh were peeled away._  
 _**“No.”**_  
 _The voice boomed. Minfillia looked up to see the Warrior of Darkness on his feet, stepping out of the debris, surrounded by a blazing light. His arms were in front of him in an X. The muscle and bone were clearly visible, his forearms cracked and splintered. How he still stood, she could not fathom._  
 _**“This ends now.”**_  
 _His voice was less of a noise and more of a force of nature. It permeated into the air, it seeped into the dirt, it burrowed its way through their chests and into their hearts. Each word was its own avalanche, its own tidal wave, its own lightning strike. It was more raw power than Minfillia had thought possible, even for the fabled hero._  
 _**“Give your pain to me,”** he continued as he floated up from the ground, his eyes closed tight. The light shined brighter around all of them, and Minfillia felt it touch her. She spared a glance to Y’shtola, who was watching the Warrior. Her eyebrow slowly reformed and the blood faded from her face. Her clothes were no longer in tatters. Minfillia saw her own wounds disappearing, sparkling into the light that whorled around them._  
 _She watched as the light touched them all. Everyone’s wounds were healed, the blood washed away, the rips and tears in their clothes sealed. All of this light spiraled through the air, all forming back on the Warrior’s body. His own grievous wounds had completely disappeared. He was nearly seven feet up when he at last opened his eyes, which had been swallowed by light._  
 _**“Suffer your misery.”**_  
 _He threw his arms forward and the light shot out from him. The full force of it hit the giant sin eater. Watching it, she knew there was no armor that could have stopped that blow, no amount of power could deflect it; it was violence spun in gleaming beauty._  
 _The sin eater recoiled for only a moment—and it exploded in a shower of white sparks. Minfillia watched as the remaining sparks fell from the sky like snow._  
 _The Warrior hit the ground, swaying on his feet. Uriangier rushed to him, deftly scooping up the staff and diving under his extended arm. The Warrior of Darkness took the staff and leaned on Uriangier, watching the sparks fall around them. He said to the open air that was once a sin eater: “Bitch.”_

“Come on, then,” he said to her now as he squeezed her shoulder. “We don’t want them to worry any more than necessary.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “Feel better?”  
“Much better, thank you.” She wiped the slight remnant of a tear from her eye. She took a steadying breath and repeated, “Thank you.”  
“Of course. It’s what friends are for, isn’t it?” He smiled warmly, and she smiled back.  
“I can do this.”  
“You can do this.”  
“And even if I can’t…” She nodded, speaking more to herself. “…I have people who can help.”  
His smile widened. “And you always will.”


End file.
